This invention relates to the texturing of textile yarn products, in particular the jet texturing of filament and/or staple yarns, which includes the intermingling of multifilament yarns, the co-mingling of two or more filament yarns and the combining of filament and staple yarns.
It is known to perform texturing on one or more textile yarns by passing the yarn or yarns through a jet device in which a jet or jets of air are directed transversely of the traveling yarn or yarns to agitate the filaments or the fibers of the yarns. When intermittent, nips are produced in the yarn or yarns at spaced intervals. Since such jets rely on air turbulence, the degree of texturing or of nip spacing along the yarn is, in consequence, random. While the average degree of texturing or nip production per unit length of yarn processed by such known jets may be satisfactory for certain textile applications, there are often long lengths of yarn produced having no texture or nips. These lengths of yam, when used in knitted or woven fabrics, manifest themselves as unsatisfactory regions in the fabric. In addition, typically a machine for performing such processes can have many, for example 200 or more, processing positions, i.e., 200 or more yarns are processed simultaneously in parallel threadlines. The provision of high pressure air to such numbers of jets is expensive and such a machine is very noisy.
The present invention provides a method of texturing textile yarn products comprising passing the yam product along a yarn path through a liquid jet arrangement and applying a force to the yam transversely to the axis thereof
The invention also provides a process for producing textured yarn products, in which the yarn product is textured by the above method and is cooled. The yarn can be cooled by the liquid jet arrangement. The yam product can be heated prior to being cooled and textured, and can then be wound up. The yarn product can be drawn prior to being cooled and textured.
The method can also comprise applying a forwarding force or a retarding force to the yarn product. The method can comprise applying at least one jet of liquid to the surface of the yarn product transversely to the axis thereof. The method can comprise applying at least one jet of liquid with components of velocity both axially of and transversely to the yarn path through the jet arrangement. The method can comprise applying a plurality of jets of liquid disposed about the axis of the yarn path through the jet arrangement. Preferably, the liquid is water and can be cold water. The supply of water can be pulsed.
The yarn product can also be cooled in a liquid immersion cooling zone, in which case, a cooling liquid can be moved in contraflow to the yarn product passing through the cooling zone. The cooling zone and the liquid jet arrangement can be contiguous. The coolant liquid can be the liquid of the jet arrangement.
The yarn product can be continuous filaments and the process can comprise drawing the yarn product to form a partially oriented yarn. Alternatively, the yarn product can be a plurality of yarns which are combined to form a single coherent yarn. One of the yarns can be a staple yarn.
The process can be controlled by a feedback arrangement. In this case, a property of the yarn product can be measured and the measurement used to control the process. The measurement can be used to control the liquid jet arrangement or a yarn product speed.
The invention can also comprise an apparatus for texturing a yarn product comprising a liquid jet arrangement adapted to apply, to a yarn product traveling along a yarn path through the jet arrangement, a force transversely to the axis of the yarn product.
The apparatus can comprise cooling apparatus. The cooling apparatus can comprise the liquid jet arrangement. The apparatus can also comprise heating apparatus which can be disposed upstream of the cooling apparatus. The apparatus can comprise winding apparatus disposed downstream of the liquid jet arrangement. The apparatus can also comprise drawing means, which can be disposed upstream of the cooling apparatus.
The liquid jet arrangement can be adapted to apply a forwarding force or a retarding force to the traveling yam product. The jet arrangement can apply at least one jet of liquid to the surface of the yarn product transversely to the axis thereof The at least one jet of liquid can be directed to have velocity components both axially of and transversely to the yarn path through the jet arrangement. A plurality of jets can be disposed about the yarn path through the liquid jet arrangement. The liquid jet arrangement can comprise a housing which terminates in a yarn constricting outlet, having an axis defining a yarn path therethrough, with liquid flow channels aimed towards the outlet and transverse to the axis. The housing can comprise at least one seal against liquid escape along the yam path. The seal can be a labyrinth seal, which can be pressurized, and can be gas pressurized, e.g., by compressed air. Preferably, the liquid jet arrangement comprises a water jet arrangement.
The jet arrangement can be arranged in a filament spinning apparatus. Alternatively, the jet arrangement can be arranged in the path of a plurality of yams. The jet arrangement can be disposed downstream of a further cooling arrangement. The further cooling arrangement can be a fluid cooling arrangement in which the yam product passes through a fluid to be cooled by heat transfer thereto. The further cooling arrangement can comprise a cooling chamber having a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet for cooling fluid to be passed therethrough, and a yarn product inlet and yarn product outlet. The cooling fluid can be passed in contraflow relative to the yam product. The cooling chamber can comprise seals against escape of cooling fluid at the yam product inlet and the yarn product outlet. The seals can be labyrinth seals, which can be pressurized, and can be gas pressurized, for example, by compressed air. The cooling fluid can be a liquid and can be water. The flow of liquid through the cooling chamber can be arranged to be turbulent. The jet arrangement and the further cooling arrangement can have a common liquid.
The apparatus can comprise a feedback arrangement operable to control the processing of the yarn product. The feedback arrangement can comprise a measuring instrument operable to measure a property of the yam product, and control means operable in response to a signal from the measuring instrument proportional to the measurement to control the processing of the yarn product. The control means can be operable to control the liquid jet arrangement and/or a yam product speed.
Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following specification taken in conjunction with the following drawings.